Tag Archives: buckinghamshire

5 Market Street, Marlow, Buckinghamshire SL7 3HH

This Woolworths store opened in part of the Crown Hotel on Market Square, Marlow around 1935. The building was formerly the town hall dating back from 1807. Here is a postcard of the whole building when it was the Crown Hotel in 1913.

9-10 High Street, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire HP11 2BT

In 1969 Woolworths bought the site of the Red Lion Hotel, keeping the famous Red Lion statue. The hotel was demolished and a new store built behind arches. Offices were also built on upper floors as Woolworths were trying to generate extra revenue by letting out this space. Below you can see the store just after it reopened.

Originally the store was arranged over 2 floors with two entrances, one fronting the High Street and the other Castle Street – it was a very large store. They then closed the Castle Street entrance. Below you can see a view of the former rear entrance (formerly the site of the Odeon Cinema) on Castle Street.

In 1984, High Wycombe Woolworths was one of nine stores that tested out the concept ‘Electronics World’ – trying to link Comet and Woolworths, but this was abandoned in 1987.

High Wycombe Woolworths 2008

In the 2000s, High Wycombe Woolworths was a 10/10 store and had a cafe. It was also the store where the head office team would test out promotions before they went live.

High Wycombe Woolworths 2008

Today the building has been split into two, one side is Iceland, the other is Poundworld. The hotel’s iconic red lion statue, a major High Wycombe landmark, still stands on the colonnade outside the store.